Stents for prosthetic heart valves

ABSTRACT

A stented valve including a stent structure including a generally tubular body portion having a first end, a second end, an interior area, a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of vertical wires extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis around a periphery of the body portion, wherein the plurality of vertical wires includes multiple commissure wires and at least one structural wire positioned between adjacent commissure wires, and a plurality of V-shaped wire structures having a first end, a second end, and a peak between the first and second ends, wherein a first end of each V-shaped structure extends from a first vertical wire and a second end of each V-shaped structure extends from a second vertical wire that is adjacent to the first vertical wire, wherein each V-shaped structure is oriented so that its peak is facing in the same direction relative to the first and second ends of the body portion, and a valve structure including a plurality of leaflets attached to the stent structure within the tubular body portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/358,980, filed Jan. 23, 2009, and titled “Stents For Prosthetic Heart Valves”, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/062,207, filed Jan. 24, 2008, and titled “Delivery Systems and Methods of Implantation for Prosthetic Heart Valves”, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to prosthetic heart valves. More particularly, it relates to devices, methods, and delivery systems for percutaneously implanting prosthetic heart valves.

BACKGROUND

Diseased or otherwise deficient heart valves can be repaired or replaced using a variety of different types of heart valve surgeries. Typical heart valve surgeries involve an open-heart surgical procedure that is conducted under general anesthesia, during which the heart is stopped while blood flow is controlled by a heart-lung bypass machine. This type of valve surgery is highly invasive and exposes the patient to a number of potentially serious risks, such as infection, stroke, renal failure, and adverse effects associated with use of the heart-lung machine, for example.

Recently, there has been increasing interest in minimally invasive and percutaneous replacement of cardiac valves. Such surgical techniques involve making a very small opening in the skin of the patient into which a valve assembly is inserted in the body and delivered to the heart via a delivery device similar to a catheter. This technique is often preferable to more invasive forms of surgery, such as the open-heart surgical procedure described above. In the context of pulmonary valve replacement, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0199971 A1 and 2003/0199963 A1, both filed by Tower, et al., describe a valved segment of bovine jugular vein, mounted within an expandable stent, for use as a replacement pulmonary valve. The replacement valve is mounted on a balloon catheter and delivered percutaneously via the vascular system to the location of the failed pulmonary valve and expanded by the balloon to compress the valve leaflets against the right ventricular outflow tract, anchoring and sealing the replacement valve. As described in the articles: “Percutaneous Insertion of the Pulmonary Valve”, Bonhoeffer, et al., Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2002; 39: 1664-1669 and “Transcatheter Replacement of a Bovine Valve in Pulmonary Position”, Bonhoeffer, et al., Circulation 2000; 102: 813-816, the replacement pulmonary valve may be implanted to replace native pulmonary valves or prosthetic pulmonary valves located in valved conduits.

Various types and configurations of prosthetic heart valves are used in percutaneous valve procedures to replace diseased natural human heart valves. The actual shape and configuration of any particular prosthetic heart valve is dependent to some extent upon the valve being replaced (i.e., mitral valve, tricuspid valve, aortic valve, or pulmonary valve). In general, the prosthetic heart valve designs attempt to replicate the function of the valve being replaced and thus will include valve leaflet-like structures used with either bioprostheses or mechanical heart valve prostheses. In other words, the replacement valves may include a valved vein segment that is mounted in some manner within an expandable stent to make a stented valve. In order to prepare such a valve for percutaneous implantation, the stented valve can be initially provided in an expanded or uncrimped condition, then crimped or compressed around the balloon portion of a catheter until it is as close to the diameter of the catheter as possible.

Other percutaneously-delivered prosthetic heart valves have been suggested having a generally similar configuration, such as by Bonhoeffer, P. et al., “Transcatheter Implantation of a Bovine Valve in Pulmonary Position.” Circulation, 2002; 102:813-816, and by Cribier, A. et al. “Percutaneous Transcatheter Implantation of an Aortic Valve Prosthesis for Calcific Aortic Stenosis.” Circulation, 2002; 106:3006-3008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. These techniques rely at least partially upon a frictional type of engagement between the expanded support structure and the native tissue to maintain a position of the delivered prosthesis, although the stents can also become at least partially embedded in the surrounding tissue in response to the radial force provided by the stent and balloons that are sometimes used to expand the stent. Thus, with these transcatheter techniques, conventional sewing of the prosthetic heart valve to the patient's native tissue is not necessary. Similarly, in an article by Bonhoeffer, P. et al. titled “Percutaneous Insertion of the Pulmonary Valve.” J Am Coll Cardiol, 2002; 39:1664-1669, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, percutaneous delivery of a biological valve is described. The valve is sutured to an expandable stent within a previously implanted valved or non-valved conduit, or a previously implanted valve. Again, radial expansion of the secondary valve stent is used for placing and maintaining the replacement valve.

Although there have been advances in percutaneous valve replacement techniques and devices, there is a continued desire to provide different designs of cardiac valves that can be implanted in a minimally invasive and percutaneous manner.

SUMMARY

The replacement heart valves of the invention each include a stent to which a valve structure is attached. The stents of the invention include a wide variety of structures and features that can be used alone or in combination with features of other stents of the invention. In particular, these stents provide a number of different docking and/or anchoring structures that are conducive to percutaneous delivery thereof. Many of the structures are thus compressible to a relatively small diameter for percutaneous delivery to the heart of the patient, and then are expandable either via removal of external compressive forces (e.g., self-expanding stents), or through application of an outward radial force (e.g., balloon expandable stents). The devices delivered by the delivery systems described herein can be used to deliver stents, valved stents, or other interventional devices such as ASD (atrial septal defect) closure devices, VSD (ventricular septal defect) closure devices, or PFO (patent foramen ovale) occluders.

Methods for insertion of the replacement heart valves of the invention include delivery systems that can maintain the stent structures in their compressed state during their insertion and allow or cause the stent structures to expand once they are in their desired location. In addition, delivery methods of the invention can include features that allow the stents to be retrieved for removal or relocation thereof after they have been deployed or partially deployed from the stent delivery systems. The methods may include implantation of the stent structures using either an antegrade or retrograde approach. Further, in many of the delivery approaches of the invention, the stent structure is rotatable in vivo to allow the stent structure to be positioned in a desired orientation.

One embodiment of a stent of the invention comprises a tubular wire structure including multiple longitudinal wires that extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent. The wires are spaced from each other around the periphery of the stent. The stent further includes tissue attachment features, such as commissure attachment posts. In one embodiment, the stent includes three commissure attachment posts, where each of the posts is used as a connection location for one of the commissures of a tri-leaflet valve that will be attached thereto. Alternatively, more or less than three posts can be provided for a valve having more or less than three leaflets, respectively. The stent further includes multiple V-shaped wire structures between a pair of wires and/or between a wire and an adjacent attachment post. In one embodiment, the stent includes three V-shaped wires that are longitudinally spaced from each other along the height of the stent between each adjacent pair of wires or between a wire and an adjacent post. There may alternatively be more or less than three V-shaped wires spaced longitudinally from each other.

A first end of each V-shaped wire extends from a first end of an attachment post or wire, and a second end of wire extends from the first end of an adjacent wire or attachment post. In this way, a peak of each V-shaped wire will be positioned generally in the center of the space between adjacent longitudinal wires, and will be directed toward a second or inlet end of the stent. All or some of the wires can be flared at least slightly outward relative to the outer tubular shape of the stent, thereby creating integrated flange structures that can be used to capture the native leaflets when the stent is implanted in a patient. Each wire is spaced longitudinally from a corresponding wire, and each wire is spaced longitudinally from a corresponding wire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further explained with reference to the appended Figures, wherein like structure is referred to by like numerals throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a stent in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the stent of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the stent of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a cutting pattern for the stent of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a stent in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the stent of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the stent of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top view a cutting pattern for the stent of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a stent in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the stent of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a “ladder” mechanism used for attachment of tissue to a stent;

FIG. 12 is a top view of two ladder mechanisms of FIG. 11 positioned relative to leaflets and a stent;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the ladder mechanisms, tissue, and portion of a stent illustrated in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a top schematic view of the stent arrangement of FIGS. 12 and 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a “slot bar” mechanism used for attachment of tissue to a stent;

FIG. 16 is a top view of a slot bar mechanism of FIG. 15 positioned relative to leaflets and a stent;

FIG. 17 is perspective view of the slot bar mechanism, tissue, and portion of a stent illustrated in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a top view of a “padded slot bar” mechanism positioned relative to leaflets and a stent;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the padded slot bar mechanism, tissue, and portion of a stent illustrated in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a “buckle” mechanism positioned relative to leaflets and a stent;

FIG. 21 is a top view of the portion of a stent, leaflets, and buckle mechanism illustrated in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is another perspective view of the portion of a stent illustrated in FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a “padded buckle” mechanism positioned relative to leaflets and a stent;

FIG. 24 is a top view of the portion of a stent, leaflets, and padded buckle mechanism illustrated in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is another perspective view of the portion of a stent illustrated in FIG. 23; and

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another stent embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As referred to herein, the prosthetic heart valves used in accordance with the various devices and methods of heart valve delivery may include a wide variety of different configurations, such as a prosthetic heart valve having tissue leaflets or a synthetic heart valve having polymeric, metallic, or tissue-engineered leaflets, and can be specifically configured for replacing any heart valve. That is, while much of the description herein refers to replacement of aortic valves, the prosthetic heart valves of the invention can also generally be used for replacement of native mitral, pulmonic, or tricuspid valves, for use as a venous valve, or to replace a failed bioprosthesis, such as in the area of an aortic valve or mitral Valve, for example.

Although each of the valves used with the delivery devices and methods described herein would typically include leaflets attached within an interior area of a stent, the leaflets are not shown in many of the illustrated embodiments for clarity purposes. In general, the stents described herein include a support structure comprising a number of strut or wire portions arranged relative to each other to provide a desired compressibility, strength, and leaflet attachment zone(s) to the heart valve. Other details on particular configurations of the stents of the invention are also described below; however, in general terms, stents of the invention are generally tubular support structures, and leaflets will be secured within the inner portion of the support structure to provide a valved stent. The leaflets can be formed from a variety of materials, such as autologous tissue, xenograph material, or synthetics as are known in the art. The leaflets may be provided as a homogenous, biological valve structure, such as a porcine, bovine, or equine valve. Alternatively, the leaflets can be provided independent of one another (e.g., bovine or equine pericardial leaflets) and subsequently assembled to the support structure of the stent. In another alternative, the stent and leaflets can be fabricated at the same time, such as May be accomplished using high strength nano-manufactured NiTi films of the type produced at Advanced Bio Prosthetic Surfaces Ltd. (ABPS) of San Antonio, Tex., for example. The support structures are generally configured to accommodate three leaflets; however, the replacement prosthetic heart valves of the invention can be configured to incorporate more or less than three leaflets.

In more general terms, the combination of a support structure with one or more leaflets can assume a variety of other configurations that differ from those shown and described, including any known prosthetic heart valve design. In certain embodiments of the invention, the support structure with leaflets utilize certain features of known expandable prosthetic heart valve configuration, whether balloon expandable, self-expanding, or unfurling (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,671,979; 4,056,854; 4,994,077; 5,332,402; 5,370,685; 5,397,351; 5,554,185; 5,855,601; and 6,168,614; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0034411; Bonhoeffer P., et al., “Percutaneous Insertion of the Pulmonary Valve”, Pediatric Cardiology, 2002; 39:1664-1669; Anderson H R, et al., “Transluminal Implantation of Artificial Heart Valves”, EUR. Heart J., 1992; 13:704-708; Anderson, J. R., et al., “Transluminal Catheter Implantation of New Expandable Artificial Cardiac Valve”, BUR Heart J., 1990, 11: (Suppl) 224a; Hilbert S. L., “Evaluation of Explanted Polyurethane Trileaflet Cardiac Valve Prosthesis”, J Thorac Cardiovascular Surgery, 1989; 94:419-29; Block P C, “Clinical and Hemodynamic Follow-Up After Percutaneous Aortic Valvuloplasty in the Elderly”, The American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 62, Oct. 1, 1998; Boudjemline, Y., “Steps Toward Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement”, Circulation, 2002; 105:775-558; Bonhoeffer, P., “Transcatheter Implantation of a Bovine Valve in Pulmonary Position, a Lamb Study”, Circulation, 2000: 102:813-816; Boudjemline, Y., “Percutaneous Implantation of a Valve in the Descending Aorta In Lambs”, EUR Heart J, 2002; 23:1045-1049; Kulkinski, D., “Future Horizons in Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement: Lessons Learned During the Early Stages of Developing a Transluminal Implantation Technique”, ASAIO J, 2004; 50:364-68; the teachings of which are all incorporated herein by reference).

Orientation and positioning of the stents of the invention may be accomplished either by self-orientation of the stents (such as by interference between features of the stent and a previously implanted stent or valve structure) or by manual orientation of the stent to align its features with anatomical or previous bioprosthetic features, such as can be accomplished using fluoroscopic visualization techniques, for example. For example, when aligning the stents of the invention with native anatomical structures, they should be aligned so as to not block the coronary arteries, and native mitral or tricuspid valves should be aligned relative to the anterior leaflet and/or the trigones/commissures.

Some embodiments of the support structures of the stents described herein can be a series of wires or wire segments arranged so that they are capable of transitioning from a collapsed state to an expanded state. In some embodiments, a number of individual wires comprising the support structure can be formed of a metal or other material. These wires are arranged in such a way that a support structure allows for folding or compressing to a contracted state in which its internal diameter is greatly reduced from its internal diameter when it is in an expanded state. In its collapsed state, such a support structure with attached valves or leaflets can be mounted over a delivery device, such as a balloon catheter, for example. The support structure is configured so that it can be changed to its expanded state when desired, such as by the expansion of a balloon catheter. The delivery systems used for such a stent should be provided with degrees of rotational and axial orientation capabilities in order to properly position the stent at its desired location within the patient.

The wires of the support structure of the stents in other embodiments can alternatively be formed from a shape memory material such as a nickel titanium alloy (e.g., Nitinol). With this material, the support structure is self-expandable from a contracted state to an expanded state, such as by the application of heat, energy, and the like, or by the removal of external forces (e.g., compressive forces). This support structure can also be repeatedly compressed and re-expanded without damaging the structure of the stent. In addition, the support structure of such an embodiment may be laser cut from a single piece of material or may be assembled from a number of different components. For these types of stent structures, one example of a delivery system that can be used includes a catheter with a retractable sheath that covers the stent until it is to be deployed, at which point the sheath can be retracted to allow the stent to expand.

Referring now to the Figures, wherein the components are labeled with like numerals throughout the several Figures, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, an exemplary embodiment of a stent 10 is illustrated. Stent 10 may be referred to as a sub-coronary stent for use in replacement of the aortic valve in that it is preferably relatively short to enable stent placement below the coronaries. Stent 10 may be made of a self-expanding material, such as Nitinol, for example. In one embodiment, the stent 10 is generally tubular in shape and can be approximately 25 mm long, for example, although it can be longer or shorter than 25 mm, depending on the anatomy of the patient, the preferences of the surgeon, and other factors. The stent 10 includes multiple longitudinal or vertical wires 12 that extend generally parallel to a longitudinal axis 14 of the stent. The wires 12 are spaced from each other around the periphery of the generally tubular shape of the stent 10. Stent 10 further includes features to which tissue can be attached to make the stent into a valve, such as commissure attachment posts 16 that can be approximately 18 mm long, for example. The commissure attachment posts 16 each include two longitudinal wires that are spaced closer to each other than the spacing of the wires 12 from each other.

In this embodiment, stent 10 includes three commissure attachment posts 16, where each of the posts 16 is used as a connection location for one of the commissures of a tri-leaflet valve that will be attached thereto. Alternatively, more or less than three posts 16 can be provided for a valve having more or less than three leaflets, respectively. In addition to providing the structure for attachment of commissures, the posts 16 also provide additional stability to the stent 10. The wires 12 and posts 16 are preferably spaced at generally the same distance from each other around the periphery of the stent 10, although it is contemplated that some of the wires 12 and/or posts 16 can be spaced at different distances from each other around the periphery of the stent 10. Further, the specific illustrated embodiment of stent 10 includes two wires 12 positioned between two commissure attachment posts 16, although an alternate embodiment may include more or less wires 12 between adjacent commissure posts 16. However, the specific embodiment of stent 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 comprises nine longitudinal structures around its periphery, including six longitudinal wires 12 and three commissure attachment posts 16.

Stent 10 further includes multiple V-shaped wire structures between a pair of wires 12 and/or between a wire 12 and an adjacent attachment post 16. As shown, the stent 10 includes three wires 18, 20, 22 that are longitudinally spaced from each other along the height of the stent 10 between each adjacent pair of wires 12 or between a wire 12 and an adjacent post 16. The size and shape of the wires 18, 20, 22 determines the spacing between adjacent longitudinal structures of the stent 10, which is generally uniform around the periphery of the stent, as discussed above. Although the stent 10 includes three of these V-shaped wires 18, 20, 22 that are spaced longitudinally from each other between adjacent vertical wire structures, there may be more or less than three V-shaped wires spaced longitudinally from each other.

Wires 18 are positioned at a first or outlet end 24 of the stent 10. A first end of each wire 18 extends from a first end 26 of an attachment post 16 or wire 12, and a second end of wire 18 extends from the first end 26 of an adjacent wire 12 or attachment post 16. In this way, a peak 28 of each wire 18 will be positioned generally in the center of the space between adjacent longitudinal wires, and will be directed toward a second or inlet end 30 of the stent 10. All or some of the wires 18 can be flared at least slightly outward relative to the outer tubular shape of the stent 10, thereby creating integrated flange structures that can be used to capture the native leaflets when the stent is implanted in a patient. Each wire 20 is spaced longitudinally from a corresponding wire 18, and each wire 22 is spaced longitudinally from a corresponding wire 20.

Additional wire structures 32 are positioned at the second end 30 of the stent 10 to correspond with each set of wires 18, 20, 22. In particular, each wire structure 32 is generally V-shaped, where the peak of each of the “V” structures is oriented in generally the same direction as the peaks of the wires 18, 20, 22. A first end of each wire structure 32 extends from a second end 34 of an attachment post 16 or wire 12, and a second end of wire structure 32 extends from the second end 34 of an adjacent wire 12 or attachment post 16. All or some of the wire structures 32 are flared at least slightly outward relative to the outer tubular shape of the stent 10. The amount and angle at which the wire structures extend relative to the tubular outer shape of the stent can be selected for capturing native patient anatomical features. In addition, this flare of the wire structures 32 can help to prevent or minimize leakage between the implant and the native annulus and/or to provide a physical and/or visual docking feature to secure the stent 10 against a wall of an opening in the heart to prevent migration of the stent, for example.

The stent 10 has a relatively high-density strut pattern to contain leaflets within the inner stent area during crimping of the stent. That is, while the exact number of longitudinal wires and V-shaped wires can vary somewhat from that illustrated in the Figures, it is preferable that the number of wires provided is sufficient to keep the leaflet material from becoming compressed and potentially damaged between the stent struts during the crimping process or from protruding beyond the periphery of the stent when it is in a crimped condition.

The first end 26 of all or some of the wires 12 and posts 16 can further include a loop or eyelet 36 that can be used for attachment to a delivery system and/or tissue valve, for example. The eyelets 36 can be in the same general plane as the outer tubular shape of the stent 10, or they can be directed at least slightly inward toward the central area of the stent or at least slightly outward relative to the outer tubular surface of the stent. The single-sided eyelet attachment end can be used in a resheathable delivery system for both antegrade and retrograde procedures, for example. Attachment end crown reducers can optionally be added to the stent to reduce the attachment crown number, although the stout would be lengthened at least slightly by such a modification.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary laser cutting pattern that can be used to form the stent 10 out of a tube or single sheet of material. The stout 10 can alternatively be made from multiple components that are attached to each other and formed into a tubular shape. However, if the stout will be cut from a tube or single sheet of material as shown, the various structures will be designed so that they do not interfere with each other in the pattern.

FIG. 26 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a stent 50 positioned for clarity on a mandrel, which also may be referred to as a sub-coronary stent in that it is preferably relatively short (e.g., 25 mm long) to enable stent placement below the coronary arteries in the aorta. This stent includes a number of the same features as the stent of FIGS. 1-4, although this stent 50 does not include the integrated petals shown and described above relative to stent 10. Rather, the shaped structures 52 at the outlet end of the stent 50 are generally in the same plane as the tubular outer shape of the stent 50 (i.e., the structures 52 are not flared outwardly). The strut 50 also includes eyelets 54 at the outlet end of the stent, which can be in the same general plane as the outer tubular shape of the stent 50, or they can be directed at least slightly inward or at least slightly outward relative to the outer tubular shape of the stent 50.

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate another exemplary embodiment of a stent 60, which is similar in structure to the strut 10 described above, including a wire structure with multiple commissure attachment posts 62. These posts 62 include two vertical struts that are spaced at least slightly from each other. These posts 62 further include multiple horizontal members 64 that are spaced from each other along the length or height of each post 62. The spaces or openings 66 that are created between the horizontal members 64 provide locations through which suture material, needles, and/or other fastening materials can be inserted for attachment of leaflet or valve material to the stent at the commissure posts. In addition, the horizontal members 64 can be used as defined anchoring points for the fastening materials. For example, a suture material can be inserted through a first opening 66 and then through another opening 66 in a predetermined pattern to stitch valve material to the commissure attachment posts 62. The horizontal members 64 can further be used as anchoring structures that keep sutures or other attachment mechanisms from moving vertically past a certain position along the attachment posts 62.

Another embodiment of a stent 80 is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, which has a similar structure to stent structures described above relative to tubular stent constructions. Stent 80 further includes a sealing skirt 82 at its inlet end 84. The sealing skirt 82 can provide for improved sealing between the stent 80 and the anatomy in which the stent 80 is placed, such as the annulus of a valve, for example. The sealing skirt 82 can be configured to unfurl away from the inlet end 84 of the valve and into the delivery system that was used to deliver the stent 80, if desired. In this way, the material used to make the sealing skirt 82 does not increase the overall size of the stent 80 when it is crimped or compressed. The sealing skirt 82 can further be provided with radiopaque, echogenic properties or other visually detectable properties so that an operator can assess the proper positioning of the stent 80 in the patient's anatomy prior to releasing it from the delivery system.

A number of systems, components, and devices are described below for attachment of valve material (e.g., tissue leaflets) within the interior area of a stent structure. It is understood that the systems that are shown and described herein for this purpose can be used with stent configurations described above and/or other stent constructions.

In one exemplary embodiment, a tubular stent structure includes at least one commissure post, along with a first leaflet and a second leaflet. Leaflets are attached or sewn to the post using suture material. In this embodiment, a tissue “cushion” is provided on both sides of the commissure attachment post to help absorb and distribute stress away from the stitch points and to minimize tissue abrasion that can be caused without such protection. In this configuration, the leaflets 104, 106 can flex along the tissue and the leaflet/tissue seam like and the tissue cushion distributes stress from flexing during opening and closing of leaflets away from the suture points where leaflets are attached into the attachment post.

Another configuration and device that can be used in the attachment of valve material to a stent structure is shown and described relative to FIGS. 11-14. In particular, a relatively rigid “ladder” member 120 is provided to support the leaflet commissure area and transfer the line or point about which the leaflets 140 flex or bend to a location that is spaced from the suture line. In this way, the stresses can be more evenly distributed and durability of the valve improved. Ladder member 120 includes a relatively flat elongated plate 122 having multiple holes or openings 124 along its length. In order to minimize or prevent damage to the tissue of the valve, the corners and edges of the ladder member 120 are preferably rounded or smoothed. The holes 124 are preferably spaced from each other by a distance that corresponds with a desired stitching pattern that will be used to both secure the member 120 to the stent structure and attach the leaflets. It is further contemplated that the ladder member 120 is configured to match specific commissure features of the stent.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate two ladder members 120 positioned relative to a portion of a stent 126 and portions of two leaflets. In particular, portions 128, 129 of adjacent leaflet commissures are secured in the space between two ladder members 120. The ladder members 120 are spaced from each other by a distance that allows the components to be securely fastened to each other, but that accommodates the thickness of the leaflets that are positioned between them. Additional material from the leaflets extends around the ends of the ladder members 120 between the edge of the ladder members 120 and the stent 126, then along the outwardly facing sides of the ladder members 120, such as is indicated by the reference number 130. This additional material provides for improved security in tissue attachment and also provides additional attachment locations.

Sutures 132 can be inserted through the tissue material to secure it to the ladder members 120, where one exemplary stitching pattern is illustrated in FIG. 15. An appropriate number of stitches should be made through the tissue material and ladder member 120 to securely attach the ladder members 120 to the leaflets. The same or a different suture material can be used to attach or position adjacent ladder members 120 relative to each other. Additional sutures or an extension of the sewing pattern can also be used to connect the ladder members 120 to the stent 126. The suture pattern can follow the holes in the ladder member 120 such that the ladder member 120 provides a template for sewing the leaflet tissue to the ladder members 120, or an alternate stitching pattern can be used. The leaflets can then flex against a long vertical edge 134 of each of the ladder members 120, thereby transferring the stress away from the attachment suture line.

FIG. 14 illustrates another tissue attachment arrangement that includes the use of two ladder members 120, as described above, along with additional protective layers 136. Each protective layer 136 can provide supplemental padding between a ladder and the adjacent leaflet material, and can also provide additional strength at the attachment sites. The protective layers 136 can be made of a material such as cloth, tissue, polymeric sheets, or the like. As shown, one protective layer 136 is used for each of the ladder members 120, with the protective layer 136 being positioned between each ladder member 120 and its corresponding leaflet 128, 129. Each protective layer 136 can wrap around at least a portion of the periphery of its corresponding ladder member 120, and in one embodiment will wrap around almost the entire periphery of the ladder members 120, as shown. Further, each protective layer 136 can extend along the entire length or height of its corresponding ladder 120, or it may extend along only a portion of the length of the ladder member 120. An exemplary pattern of stitching the components to each other and to the stent 126 is illustrated with the sutures 132 (shown as broken lines), although a different stitching pattern can instead be used.

Another configuration and device that can be used in the attachment of valve material to a stent structure is shown and described relative to FIGS. 15-17. In particular, a relatively rigid “slot bar” member 150 is provided to support the leaflet commissure area and transfer the line or point about which the leaflets flex or bend to a location that is spaced from the suture line. In this way, the stresses can be more evenly distributed. Slot bar member 150 includes a relatively flat elongated plate 152 having a longitudinal slot 156 extending along a portion of its length, and multiple holes or openings 154 along the length of the member 150 on both sides of the slot 156. Alternatively, one or both ends could be open and/or two separate portions can make up the slot bar member. In order to minimize or prevent damage to the tissue of the valve, the corners and edges of the slot bar member 150 are preferably rounded or smoothed. The holes 154 are preferably spaced from each other by a distance that corresponds with a desired stitching pattern that will be used to both secure the member 150 to the stent structure and the tissue to the slot bar. It is further contemplated that the slot bar member 150 is configured to match specific commissure features of the stent to which it will be attached. In addition, the width of the slot 156 is preferably selected based on the thickness of the leaflets that will be inserted through the slot 156. Thus, the slot 156 should be wide enough to accommodate two thicknesses of leaflet material; however, the slot 156 may be designed for more layers of material or for an optimized compression fit, if desired. In order to provide secure positioning of the tissue layers within the slot 156 and to minimize the potential for the tissue to be pulled from the slot 156, the slot should not be substantially wider than the thickness of the materials that will be positioned within it.

FIGS. 16-17 illustrate slot bar member 150 positioned relative to a portion of a stent 158 and portions of two leaflets 160, 162. In particular, the end portions of adjacent leaflet commissures 160, 162 are pulled through the slot 156 by a sufficient distance that the free edge of each of the leaflets extends at least slightly past the holes 154 on the flat side of the plate 152. This end portion of the leaflets 160, 162 will thereby be positioned between the slot bar member 150 and the stent to which they will be attached. In this way, the leaflets 160, 162 can be securely fastened to the slot bar member 150 and the stent 158. Sutures 164 can then be inserted through the tissue material to secure it to the slot bar member 150, where one exemplary stitching pattern is illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17. The stitching pattern can follow the holes 154 in the slot bar member 150 such that the slot bar member 150 provides the template for sewing the leaflet tissue to the slot bar member 150, or an alternate stitching pattern can be used. The sutures 164 can thereby connect the slot bar member 150 to the leaflets 160, 162. Additional sutures or the same sutures can also be used to connect the slot bar member 150 to the stent 158. The leaflets 160, 162 can then flex over a long vertical edge 166 on each side of the slot bar member 150 during valve leaflet opening and closing, thereby transferring the stress away from the attachment suture line and increasing the durability of the valve.

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate another tissue attachment arrangement that includes the use of a slot bar member 150 of the type described above, along with additional protective members 170, 172. Protective members 170, 172 are positioned on opposite sides of the slot 156 of the slot bar member 150 so that each of the members 170, 172 can protect one of the leaflets 160, 162. Each protective member 170, 172 can provide additional padding or cushioning between one of the leaflets 160, 162 and the slot bar member 150 during opening and closing of the leaflets. The protective members 170, 172 can be made of a material such as cloth, tissue, polymeric sheets, or the like. Further, each protective member 170, 172 can extend along the entire length of its corresponding slot bar member 150, or it may extend along only a portion of the length of the slot bar member 150. An exemplary pattern of stitching the components to each other and to the stent 158 is illustrated with the schematic representation of a suture 164, although a different stitching pattern can instead be used. The suture material can be used to attach the excess tissue material to only the slot bar member 150, if desired. Alternatively, the protective members on the leaflet side of the slot bar member could be extended circumferentially beyond the slot bar member and attached to the stent (not shown). In this way, the leaflet would be prevented from contacting the suture material during opening of the valve reducing the potential for leaflet abrasion and tearing. In order to accommodate the thickness of the extra layers provided by the protective members 170, 172, the slot 156 should have an appropriate width.

Another configuration and device that can be used in the attachment of valve material to a stent structure is shown and described relative to FIGS. 20-22. In particular, a relatively rigid “buckle” member 180 is provided to support the leaflet commissure area and transfer the line or point about which the leaflets flex or bend to a location that is spaced away from the suture line. In this way, the stresses can be more evenly distributed increasing the durability of the valve. Buckle member 180 includes a relatively flat elongated plate 182 having a longitudinal slot 184 extending along a portion of its length. The slot could alternatively be open at either one or both ends of the plate. In order to minimize or prevent damage to the tissue of the valve, the corners and edges of the buckle member 180 are preferably rounded or smoothed. The width of the slot 184 is preferably selected based on the thickness of the layers of material that will be inserted through the slot 184. Thus, the slot 184 should be wide enough to accommodate the two thicknesses of leaflet material that will extend through it, as described below; however, the slot 184 may be designed for more layers of material or for an optimized compression fit, if desired. In order to provide secure positioning of the tissue layers within the slot 184 and to minimize the potential for the tissue to be pulled from the slot 184, the slot should not be substantially wider than the width of the material that will be positioned within it.

As shown in the Figures, the buckle member 180 is positioned on the opposite side of a stent 194 than the other embodiments discussed above (i.e., on the outer side of the stent structure rather than on the inner side of the stent structure). In this embodiment, the stent 194 has a vertical slot 186 in its commissure post that generally corresponds to the slot 184 in the buckle member 180. The end portions of two leaflets 190, 192 are pulled through the slot 186 in the stent commissure post, then through the slot 184 in the buckle member 180. The ends of the leaflets are then wrapped around the back side of the buckle member 180 and pulled back through the slot 186 in the commissure post in the opposite direction than the first insertion of the leaflets through this slot 186. The leaflets 190, 192 should continue to be pulled through the slot 186 by a sufficient distance that the free edge of each of the leaflets 190, 192 extends at least slightly past the structure of the stent in the internal area of the stent. With this arrangement, the leaflets 190, 192 will flex generally along a vertical line 196, which is the tissue that covers a vertical edge of the stent. In this embodiment, no sutures are required for attachment of the leaflets 190, 192 to the stent and/or the buckle member 180. Rather, the force on the commissure caused by the closing of the leaflets 190, 192 will cause the buckle member 180 to be pressed toward the stent, thereby compressing and locking the excess tissue material between the buckle member and the stent. This secures the commissure and prevents the tissue material of the leaflets from pulling out of the assembly.

FIGS. 23-25 illustrate another configuration and device for the attachment of valve material to a stent structure that includes the use of a buckle member 200 that is similar in design and operation to the buckle member 180 discussed above. In this embodiment, however, the buckle member 200 includes two longitudinal slots 202, 204 that are spaced from each other across the width of the buckle member 200, rather than a single, central slot. In this way, a first leaflet 206 can be pulled through a longitudinal slot 210 in the stent and through longitudinal slot 202 of the buckle member 200, and a second leaflet 208 can be pulled through a longitudinal slot 210 in the stent and through longitudinal slot 204 of the buckle member 200. The leaflets 206, 208 can then be wrapped around the back side of the buckle member 200, pulled back through the longitudinal slot 210 in the commissure post, and pulled through the slot by a sufficient distance that the leaflets can be secured to the stent without stitching, similar to the arrangement that uses the buckle member 180.

It is noted that in many of the stent embodiments shown and described herein, the aspect ratio of certain portions of the stent can be somewhat different from that shown. Further, stent embodiments described herein may be modified to include additional structure for attachment of tissue for the valve, such as the vertical stent posts described in many of the embodiments.

Delivering any balloon-expandable stents of the invention to the implantation location can be performed percutaneously. In general terms, this includes providing a transcatheter assembly, including a delivery catheter, a balloon catheter, and a guide wire. Some delivery catheters of this type are known it the art, and define a lumen within which the balloon catheter is received. The balloon catheter, in turn, defines a lumen within which the guide wire is slideably disposed. Further, the balloon catheter includes a balloon that is fluidly connected to an inflation source. It is noted that if the stent being implanted is the self-expanding type of stent, the balloon would not be needed and a sheath or other restraining means would be used for maintaining the stent in its compressed state until deployment of the stent, as described herein. In any case, for a balloon-expandable stent, the transcatheter assembly is appropriately sized for a desired percutaneous approach to the implantation location. For example, the transcatheter assembly can be sized for delivery to the heart valve via an opening at a carotid artery, a jugular vein, a sub-clavian vein, femoral artery or vein, or the like. Essentially, any percutaneous intercostals penetration can be made to facilitate use of the transcatheter assembly.

Prior to delivery, the stent is mounted over the balloon in a contracted state to be as small as possible without causing permanent deformation of the stent structure. As compared to the expanded state, the support structure is compressed onto itself and the balloon, thus defining a decreased inner diameter as compared to an inner diameter in the expanded state. While this description is related to the delivery of a balloon-expandable stent, the same basic procedures can also be applicable to a self-expanding stent, where the delivery system would not include a balloon, but would preferably include a sheath or some other type of configuration for maintaining the stent in a compressed condition until its deployment.

With the stent mounted to the balloon, the transcatheter assembly is delivered through a percutaneous opening (not shown) in the patient via the delivery catheter. The implantation location is located by inserting the guide wire into the patient, which guide wire extends from a distal end of the delivery catheter, with the balloon catheter otherwise retracted within the delivery catheter. The balloon catheter is then advanced distally from the delivery catheter along the guide wire, with the balloon and stent positioned relative to the implantation location. In an alternative embodiment, the stent is delivered to an implantation location via a minimally invasive surgical incision non-percutaneously). In another alternative embodiment, the stent is delivered via open heart/chest surgery. In one embodiment of the stents of the invention, the stent includes a radiopaque, echogenic, or MRI visible material to facilitate visual confirmation of proper placement of the stent. Alternatively, other known surgical visual aids can be incorporated into the stent. The techniques described relative to placement of the stent within the heart can be used both to monitor and correct the placement of the stent in a longitudinal direction relative to the length of the anatomical structure in which it is positioned.

Once the stent is properly positioned, the balloon catheter is operated to inflate the balloon, thus transitioning the stent to an expanded state. Alternatively, where the support structure is formed of a shape memory material, the stent can self-expand to its expanded state.

The present invention has now been described with reference to several embodiments thereof. The foregoing detailed description and examples have been given for clarity of understanding only. No unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes can be made in the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A stented valve comprising: a stent structure comprising a plurality of wires and multiple commissure attachment structures; a valve structure comprising a plurality of leaflets; and at least one slot bar for securing the plurality of leaflets to the commissure attachment structures, the slot bar disposed exterior to the stent structure and secured to the stent structure, the at least one slot bar comprising a longitudinal slot extending along a portion of its length; wherein a first leaflet and a second leaflet of the plurality of leaflets extend though a slot in the stent structure, through the longitudinal slot of the slot bar, and are secured to the slot bar.
 2. The stented valve of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal slot of the slot bar comprises a first longitudinal slot and a second longitudinal slot extending along a portion of its length, wherein the first leaflet extends through the first longitudinal slot and the second leaflet extends through the second longitudinal slot.
 3. The stented valve of claim 2, further comprising a first protective member extending through the first longitudinal slot and positioned between the first leaflet and the slot bar and a second protective member extending through the second longitudinal slot and positioned between the second leaflet and the slot bar.
 4. The stented valve of claim 3, wherein the slot bar further comprises a plurality of holes along the length of the slot bar on outer sides of the first and second longitudinal slots, and wherein the first and second leaflets and the first and second protective members are secured to the slot bar by one or more sutures passing through at least one of the plurality of holes.
 5. The stented valve of claim 1, further comprising at least one protective member extending through the longitudinal slot of the slot bar and disposed between the slot bar and at least one of the first and second leaflets.
 6. The stented valve of claim 5, wherein the slot bar further comprises a plurality of holes along the length of the slot bar on both sides of the longitudinal slot, and wherein the first and second leaflets and the at least one protective member are secured to the slot bar by one or more sutures passing through at least one of the plurality of holes.
 7. The stented valve of claim 6, wherein the one or more sutures securing the at least one protective member to the slot bar also secure the slot bar to the stent structure.
 8. The stented valve of claim 5, wherein the at least one protective member comprises a first protective member extending through the longitudinal slot and disposed between the slot bar and the first leaflet, and a second protective member extending through the longitudinal slot and disposed between the slot member and the second leaflet. 